Books And Stuff

[monza gorilla 1]

Well, we've had a topic on F1 books, but what else are you reading? Something worthy and educational or something frivolous?

Me, I've just finished The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies Of The Apocalypse and am now starting on it's sequel, The Toyminator. Excellent wordsmithery.

[pumpdoc 2]

E.E.'Doc' Smith and the Lensmen series, space sci-fi at it's best.

[Max Mosley 2]

Paradise Lost by John Milton (still). I'm on book (chapter) 10 out of 12 now. It's a great epic poem "to justify the ways of God to men" by telling the story of Genesis in more detail as a drama. Here's where I'm up to.

Adam and Eve lived happily together in Paradise, but Satan was jealous (he has already been cast out of Heaven for earlier misdemeanors) and wanted revenge against God. Eve has just been seduced by the serpent (Satan), who tricks her into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge. Eve then entices Adam to eat from it too. God forbade the humans from doing this and comes down to judge them. His verdict is wonderfully sexist, as He says to Adam:

"Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey

Before His voice, or was she made thy guide,

Superior, or but equal, that to her

Thou did'st resign thy Manhood, and the Place

Wherein God set thee above her made of thee,

And for thee, whose perfection far excelled

Hers in all real dignity: Adorned

She was indeed, and lovely to attract

Thy Love, not thy Subjection, and her Gifts

Were such as under Government well seemed,

Unseemly to bear rule, which was thy part

And person, hadst thou known thy self aright."

I think my favourite bit is when Satan, already in serpent form, first sees Eve, and is tormented by her beauty: "pleasure not for him ordained".

Such Pleasure took the Serpent to behold

This Floury Plat, the sweet recess of Eve

Thus early, thus alone; her Heav'nly form

Angelic, but more soft, and Feminine,

Her graceful Innocence, her every Air

Of gesture or least action overawed

His Malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved

His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought:

That space the Evil one abstracted stood

From his own evil, and for the time remained

Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed,

Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge;

But the hot Hell that always in him burns,

Though in mid Heav'n, soon ended his delight,

And tortures him now more, the more he sees

Of pleasure not for him ordained: then soon

Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts

Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.

[monza gorilla 1]

Have you read Beowulf?

[Max Mosley 2]

Yeah, I've read the translation by Seamus Heaney. It's really good. I like different styles of poetry. I remember you telling me about Chaucer a while back. I still haven't gotten round to it, but I came across a really interesting article about him the other day. It said that he was a transition between the old anglo saxon poets with 4 stress alliterative lines, and the soon-to-be-dominant continental style poets, with their iambic pentameters. I thought that was really interesting. Like the 1st four lines of the canterbury tales basically have 4 stresses, with a slight hint of a fifth, even though they look like perfect iambic pentameter. He has a slight tendency to demote one of the stresses! (At least in those lines anyway)

[Quiet One 15]

Yeah, I've read the translation by Seamus Heaney. It's really good. I like different styles of poetry. I remember you telling me about Chaucer a while back. I still haven't gotten round to it, but I came across a really interesting article about him the other day. It said that he was a transition between the old anglo saxon poets with 4 stress alliterative lines, and the soon-to-be-dominant continental style poets, with their iambic pentameters. I thought that was really interesting. Like the 1st four lines of the canterbury tales basically have 4 stresses, with a slight hint of a fifth, even though they look like perfect iambic pentameter. He has a slight tendency to demote one of the stresses! (At least in those lines anyway)

Rrrrright...whatever...go Renault!

Edit: Right now I am reading Lucanus "Pharsalia" an rather weak work of epic about Julius Caesar's final battle in the Civil War. Also about starting to read "Fashionable Nonsense" from Alan Sokal. Also reading a biography on Peron and re reading "The Illuminatus Trilogy", by Robert Anton WIlson and Robert Shea...highly recomended for all you conspiracy theories fans out there. (if I am not mistaken)

[pumpdoc 2]

Bah to all of this cerable stuff, books are to escape.

[Eric 0]

My internet died. As usual. Basically I was saying all the books mentioned make me puke because I read them as required reading for school and hated it. I also blamed ADD for my lack of reading and mentioned I was reading the Senna book.

That's all.

-Eric

[ecapdeville 0]

My last book was "Adobe Indesign CS2" by Olav Martin Kvern...haha...

Sorry...only read for work...

Internet rules man!

[ykickamoocow 0]

As most of you know the last book i read was Mein Kempf by Adolf Hitler.

[Jez 0]

Great thread Monza!

I've strated reading The Lord of the Rings again. I'm a sucker for epic fantasy, and Tolkien's use of early modern english. I'm half way through the Two Towers, and loving it all over again. Any fans of Tolkien around here?

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Capitalist Nigger

accompanied by an Edward de Bono book inbetween "transform your thinking"

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Paradise Lost by John Milton (still). I'm on book (chapter) 10 out of 12 now. It's a great epic poem "to justify the ways of God to men" by telling the story of Genesis in more detail as a drama. Here's where I'm up to.

Adam and Eve lived happily together in Paradise, but Satan was jealous (he has already been cast out of Heaven for earlier misdemeanors) and wanted revenge against God. Eve has just been seduced by the serpent (Satan), who tricks her into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge. Eve then entices Adam to eat from it too. God forbade the humans from doing this and comes down to judge them. His verdict is wonderfully sexist, as He says to Adam:

"Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey

Before His voice, or was she made thy guide,

Superior, or but equal, that to her

Thou did'st resign thy Manhood, and the Place

Wherein God set thee above her made of thee,

And for thee, whose perfection far excelled

Hers in all real dignity: Adorned

She was indeed, and lovely to attract

Thy Love, not thy Subjection, and her Gifts

Were such as under Government well seemed,

Unseemly to bear rule, which was thy part

And person, hadst thou known thy self aright."

I think my favourite bit is when Satan, already in serpent form, first sees Eve, and is tormented by her beauty: "pleasure not for him ordained".

Such Pleasure took the Serpent to behold

This Floury Plat, the sweet recess of Eve

Thus early, thus alone; her Heav'nly form

Angelic, but more soft, and Feminine,

Her graceful Innocence, her every Air

Of gesture or least action overawed

His Malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved

His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought:

That space the Evil one abstracted stood

From his own evil, and for the time remained

Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed,

Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge;

But the hot Hell that always in him burns,

Though in mid Heav'n, soon ended his delight,

And tortures him now more, the more he sees

Of pleasure not for him ordained: then soon

Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts

Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.

Great stuff Mr Murray Walker

[dribbler 6]

A Life In Music - John Peel. And Ted Hughes - Animal Poetry.

Nice thread Russ.

[freaky2 1]

Great thread Monza!

I've strated reading The Lord of the Rings again. I'm a sucker for epic fantasy, and Tolkien's use of early modern english. I'm half way through the Two Towers, and loving it all over again. Any fans of Tolkien around here?

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

Tolkien fan raises hand...

I haven't had the chance to read The Lord Of The Rings in english, though. The translations of nice songs like the one you posted... they don't even rhyme.

Now reading: not reading. Searching for good fantasy books. Re-read some parts of "The Count of Monte-Cristo" though. I love many things about that book.

[Kay 0]

I've just finished reading Vernon God Little which may appeal to some members here although I'll be surprised if no one else here has read it. As I have three months off, I have plenty of time for reading, but not sure where to start.

Also just read a book on Platy as we now have 40 of their babies after about 8 births and so need to know a lot about them.

[pabloh20 1]

Peter Kay's autobiography. I am not sure I have ever laughed so much whilst reading a book!

[Niall McBride 0]

My last book was "Adobe Indesign CS2" by Olav Martin Kvern...haha...

Sorry...only read for work...

Internet rules man!

lol I just finished reading a book on VB6

[Jez 0]

Tolkien fan raises hand...

I haven't had the chance to read The Lord Of The Rings in english, though. The translations of nice songs like the one you posted... they don't even rhyme.

Now reading: not reading. Searching for good fantasy books. Re-read some parts of "The Count of Monte-Cristo" though. I love many things about that book.

I haven't heard of "The Count of Monte Cristo" What kind of book is it? And who's the author? I'm always open to some fresh reading!

[Max Mosley 2]

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Ah that's nice!

Capitalist Nigger

accompanied by an Edward de Bono book inbetween "transform your thinking"

Yeah I think those kinds of self-help books are under-utilised. I guess the danger is that you just read too much without acting on their advice, but I definitely think people should read them more.

A Life In Music - John Peel. And Ted Hughes - Animal Poetry.

Nice thread Russ.

Hi Steve! Good to see you posting a little!

[monza gorilla 1]

I haven't heard of "The Count of Monte Cristo" What kind of book is it? And who's the author? I'm always open to some fresh reading!

It's by Alexandre Dumas, who also wrote The Three Musketeers. That should give you a good idea.

[Jez 0]

It's by Alexandre Dumas, who also wrote The Three Musketeers. That should give you a good idea.

Thanks Monza for that, I'll have to source some of his books. Where would you suggest I start? 3 Musketeers is the obvious famous one I suppose. Is there a more appropriate book by Alexandre Dumas worth starting with? Freaky2 mentioned "The Count of Monte-Cristo" so I guess thats a good starting point.

[Quiet One 15]

Thanks Monza for that, I'll have to source some of his books. Where would you suggest I start? 3 Musketeers is the obvious famous one I suppose. Is there a more appropriate book by Alexandre Dumas worth starting with? Freaky2 mentioned "The Count of Monte-Cristo" so I guess thats a good starting point.

The Count of Monte Cristo is vastly superior to The three Musketeers. I also thought that The Three Musketeers was written by Dumas Sr and The Count by Dumas Kr. but I never got that right, anyways.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

The Count of Monte Cristo is vastly superior to The three Musketeers. I also thought that The Three Musketeers was written by Dumas Sr and The Count by Dumas Kr. but I never got that right, anyways.

I absolutely loved the movie though....

[freaky2 1]

I absolutely loved the movie though....

But have you read the book? I guess there's more than one movie, but the one I saw recently is nothing compared to the book. In fact, that was what made me read some things again.